On June 23, the Spokane City Council approved the addition of 15 projects to its Six-Year Comprehensive Street Plan, and nearly all of those have at least a small element that could make it easier to walk, cycle or take public transit.
Every annual update to the street plan also gives us the opportunity to see how timelines or construction plans have changed for projects previously included in the street plan. RANGE found seven active transportation projects that have been delayed, increased significantly in cost — or both.
First, a primer on street plans
Warning: this is boring if you’re not into municipal bureaucracy, so skip ahead if you want the juicy project details.
Each year, the city is legally required to create a street plan for the following six years. Last year’s street plan ran from 2025-2030, and this year’s plan runs from 2026-2031. You might say “Amazing, is this a list of every single street project that will get built here for the next six years?”
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is “No.”
It does not include:
- detailed plans of the annual residential street maintenance projects (paid for by vehicle registration fees)
- projects in the County (unless you’re intimately familiar with the shape of the city, it can be tough to know if a given street segment is in the city or the county)
- projects done by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) — even if they’re done inside city limits
- info about which traffic calming projects will be built
- details about years five and six, typically
To be fair, in an environment where federal grants are disappearing overnight, street surfaces decay at different rates and traffic calming needs depend on land use changes and other streets projects, agility is sort of a necessity in government planning.
Another interesting bit for my fellow municipal politics nerds: the six-year street plan notes where the funds for each project come from. Hint: it’s a lot of federal and state grant money.
Bike, ped and transit projects added to the plan
1. High visibility crosswalks
In 2026, the city expects to replace existing crosswalks at 30 signalized, arterial intersections with so-called “continental-style” crosswalks. This design is preferred by the National Association of City Transportation Officials, of which Spokane is a member.
Many signalized intersections in Spokane have this style of crosswalk. Image credit: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide
Continental-style crosswalks the city will install at 30 signalized intersections. Image credit: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide
2. Sidewalk infill on Driscoll Boulevard from Garland Avenue to Wellesley Avenue
This section of Driscoll is served by Spokane Transit Authority’s Route 33, which STA intends to transform into a High Performance Transit line in the next few years. Having sidewalks in the area is crucial for both able-bodied and disabled folks alike to access bus stops and all other destinations. Construction is planned for 2026.
